Abu Haef Kigab (born November 3, 1998) is a Sudanese-Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the MLP Academics Heidelberg of the German Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks and for the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference. He was a key player on a Canada team that won the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2017.
_(cropped).jpg) Kigab with Boise State in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 – Free agent | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 3, 1998 Khartoum, Sudan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Sudanese / Canadian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school |
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| College |
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| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Niagara River Lions | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Ottawa BlackJacks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Spišskí Rytieri | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | MLP Academics Heidelberg | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Early life
editBorn in Khartoum, Sudan to Sultan Kigab, Kigab moved to St. Catharines, Ontario with his family at age nine.[1] He attended Queen Mary Public School and St. Francis Catholic Secondary School and joined the Prolific Prep Academy in Napa, California in 2015.[2]
Kigab was tabbed a breakout performer at Basketball Without Borders in 2016 and was ranked a four-star recruit in the class of 2017 by Scout and ESPN.[3]
He committed to playing college basketball for Oregon in March 2017,[4] having also considered Illinois, Baylor, California, Kansas, Minnesota, USC and Virginia Tech.[5]
College career
editUniversity of Oregon (2017-2019)
editKigab played his freshman and sophomore season at University of Oregon. During his freshman year, he played in 35 of 36 games as one of the team's top defenders off the bench. As a sophomore, Kigab averaged 2.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 10 games. He transferred to Boise State University at the end of the fall quarter during his sophomore season.[6]
Boise State University (2019-2022)
editAfter transferring to Boise State, Kigab had to sit out the second half of the season due to NCAA transfer rules.
During his junior year, he appeared in 20 games, starting in 18. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.6 rebounds. He was fourth on the team in scoring and rebounding. He missed two games with a hip pointer. Kigab became eligible at the conclusion of the first semester, after gaining his full year of academic residency.
During his senior year, Kigab was All-Mountain West Second Team and All-Mountain West Third Team. He started in 25 games and averaged 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He led the Broncos with 22 blocked shots. Kigab missed final three games after suffering a shoulder injury in the regular season finale.
Kigab did a fifth year at Boise State. He was All-Mountain West Second Team and Mountain West Championship MVP. He started all 35 games and averaged 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds. and 2.4 assists.[7]
Professional career
editNiagara River Lions (2022)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Kigab joined the Toronto Raptors Summer League roster in Las Vegas, recording a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the final game against Milwaukee.[8][9]
On October 24, 2022, Kigab joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants training camp roster.[10] However, he did not make the final roster.
Kigab appeared in two games for Niagara River Lions during the 2022 CEBL season.
Ottawa BlackJacks (2023)
editThe Ottawa BlackJacks announced they had signed Kigab on May 5, 2023.[11] He tallied 7 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in his debut against Montreal.
Spišskí Rytieri (2023)
editOn August 27, 2023, Kigab signed with Spišskí Rytieri of the Slovak Basketball League.[12] In 18 league games, he averaged 19.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2 assists per contest.[13]
MLP Academics Heidelberg (2024)
editOn January 2, 2024, he inked a deal with the MLP Academics Heidelberg of the German Basketball Bundesliga.[14] Kigab averaged 8.6 points in 12 Bundesliga contests[15] and parted company with the team at the end of the 2023-24 season.[16]
National team career
editKigab competed for Canada at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Cup and the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. In July 2017, he was a key player on a Canada team that captured gold at the FIBA U19 World Cup, averaging 14.7 points and 10.6 rebounds, as well as 2.3 assists per game. For his efforts, he was named to the tournament's All-Star Five.[17]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Oregon | 35 | 0 | 7.7 | .344 | .227 | .409 | 1.1 | .2 | .4 | .2 | 1.6 |
| 2018–19 | Oregon | 10 | 3 | 14.9 | .440 | .091 | .600 | 2.7 | 1.8 | .2 | .0 | 2.6 |
| 2019–20 | Boise State | 20 | 18 | 25.8 | .420 | .328 | .734 | 3.6 | 1.0 | .7 | .3 | 11.1 |
| 2020–21 | Boise State | 25 | 25 | 28.0 | .467 | .301 | .716 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .9 | 11.8 |
| 2021–22 | Boise State | 35 | 35 | 31.5 | .500 | .301 | .677 | 5.7 | 2.4 | 1.3 | .4 | 14.8 |
| Career | 125 | 81 | 121.9 | .461 | .293 | .680 | 3.8 | 1.4 | .8 | .4 | 8.9 | |
References
edit- ^ James, Marty. "Prolific Prep pulls out of international game in face of immigration uncertainty". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ James, Marty. "Oregon next stop in worldwide journey for Prolific Prep's Kigab". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "Abu Kigab has strong showing at BWB". Scout.com. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Krupke, Nick. "Abu Kigab commits to University of Oregon". Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "Abu Kigab, 4-star SF, commits to Oregon Ducks". OregonLive.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ "Abu Kigab - Men's Basketball". University of Oregon Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ "Abu Kigab - Men's Basketball". Boise State University Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Zatzman, Louis (July 1, 2022). "Prepping for the Toronto Raptors' Summer League team - Raptors Republic". RaptorsRepublic.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ "Milwaukee Bucks vs Toronto Raptors Jul 17, 2022 Box Scores". NBA.com. July 17, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ "Mad Ants Announce 2022 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ "Ottawa BlackJacks Sign Canadian Forward Abu Kigab". TheBlackJacks.ca. May 5, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ Antoni, Adam (August 27, 2023). "RYTIERI FINALIZUJÚ SÚPISKU, PRIBUDOL KANADSKÝ ŠAMPIÓN". SpisskiRytieri.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Spisski Rytieri Nova Ves Statistics, Season: 2023-2024". Eurobasket.com. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ Birkelbach, Eva (January 2, 2024). "MLP Academics: Neuzugang Abu Kigab gilt als harter Arbeiter". MLP Academics Heidelberg (in German). Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ "Abu Kigab". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "BBL-Wechselbörse 2024: alle Transfers und Kader". basketball.de (in German). Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "Payton Pritchard and Abu Kigab named to World Cup All-Star Team". DuckTerritory. Retrieved July 9, 2017.